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{{Short description|Historic building in Los Angeles, California}}
{{infobox station
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
| image = File:Pacific Electric Building - Los Angeles.jpg
{{Infobox station
| caption = Pacific Electric Building, 2009
| name =
| address= 610 S. Main Street<br />[[Los Angeles, California]]
| symbol =
| opened = 1925
| symbol_location =
| closed =
| style = Pacific Electric
| tracks =
| type =
| services =
| image = File:Pacific Electric Building - Los Angeles.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Pacific Electric Building, 2009
| other_name =
| address = 610 S. Main Street
| borough = [[Los Angeles, California]]
| country =
| elevation =
| owned =
| operator = [[Pacific Electric]] (1905–1958)<hr />[[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority]] (1958–1961)
| manager =
| transit_authority =
| distance =
| platforms =
| tracks =
| train_operators =
| connections = [[Los Angeles Railway]]
| structure =
| depth =
| levels =
| status =
| website =
| opened = {{start date|January 15, 1905}}
| closed = {{end date|April 9, 1961}}
| rebuilt =
| electrified =
| former =
| original =
| years = 2005
| events = converted to housing and retail
| passengers =
| pass_system =
| pass_year =
| pass_percent =
| pass_rank =
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services_collapsible = yes
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations
|system1=Pacific Electric
|line1=Long Beach|left1=Vernon
|line2=Watts|left2=7th & Main|to-left2=Watts
|line3=San Pedro via Dominguez|left3=Vernon|note-mid3=(discontinued 1958)
|line4=Santa Monica Air Line|left4=Amoco|note-mid4=(1909–1953)
|line8=Santa Ana|left8=Vernon|to-left8=Santa Ana SP Depot
|line11=Balboa|left11=Vernon
|line13=Redondo via Gardena|left13=Vernon|note-mid13=(1911–1940)
|line14=San Pedro via Gardena|left14=Vernon|note-mid14=(discontinued 1940)
|line18=Fullerton|left18=Vernon|to-left18=Fullerton
|line19=La Habra–Fullerton–Yorba Linda|left19=Vernon|to-left19=Yorba Linda
|line21=Glendale–Burbank|left21=Beverly & Glendale|note-mid21=(until 1925)
|line105=Pasadena Short Line|right105=Echandia|note-mid105=(discontinued 1951)
|line106=Pasadena via Oak Knoll|right106=Echandia|note-mid106=(1906–1950)
|line107=Monrovia–Glendora|right107=Echandia|note-mid107=(discontinued 1951)
|line109=Alhambra–San Gabriel|right109=Echandia|note-mid109=(discontinued 1941)
|line110=Upland–San Bernardino|right110=Echandia
|line112=Riverside–Rialto|right112=Echandia|note-mid112=(1931–1938)
|line115=Redlands|right115=Echandia
|line116=Whittier|right116=Echandia
|line117=South Pasadena|right117=5th & Main
|line120=Annandale|right120=Echandia|note-mid120=(discontinued 1928)
}}
| route_map = {{Pacific Electric Building|inline=y}}
| map_state = collapsed
| nrhp =
| nrhp =
{{Infobox NRHP | embed=yes
{{Infobox NRHP | embed=yes
Line 13: Line 76:
| designated_other1 = LAHCM
| designated_other1 = LAHCM
| designated_other1_number = 104
| designated_other1_number = 104
| coordinates = {{coord|34.04495445|-118.24992388|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|34.04495|-118.2499|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = USA Los Angeles Metropolitan Area#California#USA
| locmapin = USA Los Angeles Metropolitan Area#California#USA
| area =
| area =
| built = 1925
| built = 1905
| architect =
| architect = [[Thornton Fitzhugh]]
| architecture = [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]], [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]]
| architecture = [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]], [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]]
| added = April 9, 2009<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a|refnum=09000180}}</ref>
| added = April 9, 2009<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a|refnum=09000180}}</ref>
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}}
}}
}}
}}
The historic '''Pacific Electric Building''' (also known as the '''Huntington Building''', after the railway’s founder, [[Henry E. Huntington|Henry Huntington]], or simply “6th & Main”), opened in 1905 in the [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|core of Los Angeles]] as the main train station for the [[Pacific Electric Railway]], as well as the company's headquarters; '''Main Street Station''' served passengers boarding trains for the south and east of Southern California. In 1925, a second electric rail hub, the [[Subway Terminal Building|Subway Terminal]], was opened by [[Pershing Square (Los Angeles)|Pershing Square]] to serve the north and west. The building was designed by architect [[Thornton Fitzhugh]]. Though not the tallest in Los Angeles, its ten floors enclosed the greatest number of square feet in any building west of Chicago for many decades. Above the train station, covering the lower floors, were five floors of offices; and in the top three was the [[Jonathan Club]], one of the city's leading businessmen's clubs introduced by magnates from the [[Northeastern United States |Northeast]].<ref>The club moved to its own building on [[Figueroa Street]] in 1925.</ref> After the “Great Merger” of Pacific Electric into [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] in 1911, the PE Building became the home of Southern Pacific in Los Angeles.
The historic '''Pacific Electric Building''' (also known as the '''Huntington Building''', after the railway’s founder, [[Henry E. Huntington|Henry Huntington]], or simply '''6th & Main'''), opened in 1905 in the [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|core of Los Angeles]] as the main train station for the [[Pacific Electric Railway]], as well as the company's headquarters; '''Main Street Station''' served passengers boarding trains for the south and east of Southern California. The building was designed by architect [[Thornton Fitzhugh]]. Though not the tallest in Los Angeles, its ten floors enclosed the greatest number of square feet in any building west of Chicago for many decades. Above the train station, covering the lower floors, were five floors of offices; and in the top three was the [[Jonathan Club]], one of the city's leading businessmen's clubs introduced by magnates from the [[Northeastern United States |Northeast]].{{efn|The club moved to its own building on [[Figueroa Street]] in 1925.}} After the “Great Merger” of Pacific Electric into [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] in 1911, the PE Building became the home of Southern Pacific in Los Angeles. In 1925, a second electric rail hub, the [[Subway Terminal Building|Subway Terminal]], was opened near [[Pershing Square (Los Angeles)|Pershing Square]] to serve the north and west.


==History==
==History==
===Interurban terminal===
[[File:pac-elec-depot-1910.jpg|thumb|left|View north on Main Street ca. 1910, with the '''Pacific Electric Building''' at the right.]]
[[File:pac-elec-depot-1910.jpg|thumb|left|View north on Main Street {{circa|1910}}, with the '''Pacific Electric Building''' at the right.]]
In 1914, a total of 1,626 Pacific Electric scheduled trains entered or left Los Angeles at the 6th and Main terminal utilizing 3262 interurban car trips daily.<ref>Middleton, The Interurban Era, p304.</ref> With the considerable increase in automobiles in Los Angeles in the 1920s, congestion from these plus shared [[street running]] with the [[Los Angeles Railway]]’s city streetcars, PE trains were chronically delayed traveling to the north on Main Street heading to Glendale and west to Hollywood and Santa Monica. To relieve such problems, In 1922, the California Railroad Commission issued Order No. 9928, which called for the [[Pacific Electric]] to build a [[Belmont Tunnel / Toluca Substation and Yard|subway]] to leave downtown's busy streets.<ref name="PEWHS">{{cite web|url=http://www.erha.org/pewhs.htm |title=Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California |publisher=Erha.org |date= |accessdate=2014-04-29}}</ref> The [[Subway Terminal Building]], a second PE terminal, was then built across downtown at the base of [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California|Bunker Hill]] at 4th and Hill Streets by Pershing Square to serve the subway, which opened December 1, 1925, speeding passenger service considerably to Hollywood, Santa Monica, San Fernando, and Glendale.
The building opened on January&nbsp;15, 1905 as a terminal for the electric railways being constructed by [[Henry E. Huntington|Henry Huntington]].{{sfnp|Crump|1977|pp=76–77}} In 1914, a total of 1,626 scheduled Pacific Electric trains entered or left Los Angeles at Main Street Station in 3262 interurban car trips daily.<ref>{{cite book|last=Middleton|first=William D.|author-link= William D. Middleton|title=The Interurban Era|year=1961|page=304|publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]]|isbn=9780890240038}}</ref> The elevated tracks and passenger concourse on the back of the building were constructed in 1916.{{sfnp|Crump|1977|p=149}}


With the great rise in the number of automobiles in the 1920s, congestion&nbsp;— from the cars, from [[street running|sharing streets]] with the cars, from sharing the streets with [[Los Angeles Railway]]’s Yellow Cars&nbsp;— often caused PE trains to run late, especially while traveling north on Main Street towards Glendale, and west to Hollywood and Santa Monica. To relieve such problems, the California Railroad Commission issued Order No.&nbsp;9928 in 1922, which called for the [[Pacific Electric]] to build a [[Hollywood Subway|subway]] to leave downtown's busy streets.<ref name="PEWHS">{{cite web|url=http://www.erha.org/pewhs.htm |title=Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California |publisher=Erha.org |access-date=2014-04-29}}</ref> The [[Subway Terminal Building]], a second PE terminal, was then built across downtown at the base of [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California|Bunker Hill]] at 4th and Hill Streets by Pershing Square to serve the subway, which opened December&nbsp;1, 1925, speeding passenger service considerably to Hollywood, Santa Monica, San Fernando, and Glendale.
Interurban rail service remained the 6th and Main PE Terminal's sole function until 1942. Trains entered the back (east side) on ground-level track from San Pedro Street, loaded and unloaded passengers inside the building concourse, then exited onto Main Street (west side) and turned north or south. (See the attached photograph accompanying this article.) In 1942, the terminal was converted to accommodate the Pacific Electric's growing fleet of [[bus]]es. Trains continued to enter and use the original concourse on New Year's Day to carry crowds to and from the [[Tournament of Roses]] events in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] until 1950 when Northern District ([[Pasadena Short Line|Pasadena]]–[[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]]–[[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]]) rail service was abandoned. After that, the PE concourse saw no trains and Main Street tracks were no longer used. Remaining service to [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora Line]], the Harbor, and to [[Bellflower Line|Bellflower]] was provided at the rear of the PE terminal on outdoor passenger loading platforms and stub tracks at the rear (east side) of the PE Terminal. Trains used a ramp up from San Pedro street that crossed Los Angeles street to reach the loading platforms. Passengers walked into the terminal concourse via an enclosed bridge.


Interurban rail service remained the 6th and Main PE Terminal's sole function until 1942. Trains entered the back (east side) on ground-level track from San Pedro Street, loaded and unloaded passengers inside the building concourse, then exited onto Main Street (west side) and turned north or south. (See the attached photograph accompanying this article.) In 1942, the terminal was converted to accommodate the Pacific Electric's growing fleet of [[bus]]es.<ref>{{cite news |title=P. E. trains to get new routes into terminal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107519388/ |access-date=13 August 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News |via=Newspapers.com |date=23 September 1942 |page=11}} {{free access}}</ref> Trains continued to enter and use the original concourse on New Year's Day to carry crowds to and from the [[Tournament of Roses]] events in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] until 1950 when Northern District ([[Pasadena Short Line|Pasadena]]–[[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]]–[[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]]) rail service was abandoned. After that, the PE concourse saw no trains and Main Street tracks were no longer used. Remaining [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|service to Glendora]], the Harbor, and to [[Bellflower Line|Bellflower]] was provided at the rear of the PE terminal on outdoor passenger loading platforms and stub tracks at the rear (east side) of the PE Terminal. Trains used a ramp up from San Pedro Street that crossed Los Angeles Street to reach the loading platforms. Passengers walked into the terminal concourse via an enclosed bridge.
[[File:Pacific Electric Building and station.jpg|thumb|left|Tracks in a yard elevated above street level serve interurban lines at the Main Street Station, {{circa|1920}}]]
Over the next decade, interurban rail routes to Bellflower, the [[Watts Line|Watts local]], and Long Beach and harbor area were abandoned and replaced by [[Motor bus|motor coaches]]. The last active route was the Long Beach line. The final "Blimp" multiple unit interurban train to use the terminal (so named for their unusual plump size and round front windows) to [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] was on April 9, 1961 and was in [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority|MTA]] green livery: no longer painted the famous and classic Pacific Electric red. [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority|MTA]] Bus service continued to operate from Sixth and Main until 1964. The MTA ran "Freeway Flyer" motor coach service to old PE destinations from the basement of the nearby Greyhound Terminal, and this continued during [[Southern California Rapid Transit District|'''R'''apid '''T'''ransit '''D'''istrict (SCRTD)]] operations.


[[File:Pacific Electric Building and station.jpg|thumb|left|Behind the building, tracks in the yard elevated above the street serve interurbans, {{circa|1920}}]]
Following the closure of the terminal's main floor depot, the former waiting room and bus concourse were converted to a parking garage. With the commercial and social decline of Main Street and the east side of downtown in general, the rented offices on the upper floors of the building became less desirable and gradually emptied out. The building was largely vacant for many years, though it became a popular location for the movie and television industries. Over 400 location shoots have taken place there, including scenes from ''[[Forrest Gump]]'', ''[[LA Confidential (film)|LA Confidential]],'' ''[[Jumpin' Jack Flash (film)|Jumpin' Jack Flash]]'' and interior shots for the 1970s ''Streets of San Francisco'' TV series.''
Over the next decade, interurban rail routes to [[Bellflower Line|Bellflower]], the [[Watts Line|Watts local]], and Long Beach and harbor area were abandoned and replaced by [[Motor bus|motor coaches]]. The last active route was the [[Long Beach Line]]. The final "Blimp" multiple unit interurban train to use the terminal (so named for their unusual plump size and round front windows) to [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] was on April&nbsp;9, 1961 and was in [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority|MTA]] green livery: no longer painted the famous and classic Pacific Electric red. [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority|MTA]] Bus service continued to operate from Sixth and Main until 1964. The MTA ran "Freeway Flyer" motor coach service to old PE destinations from the basement of the nearby Greyhound Terminal, and this continued during [[Southern California Rapid Transit District|'''R'''apid '''T'''ransit '''D'''istrict (SCRTD)]] operations.


===After rail service===
In 1908, [[Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet]] was opened on the lower floor of the building. Cole's claimed to be Los Angeles' oldest restaurant and pub that has been in operation since its founding, although it was closed in 2007 for renovation, reopening in December 2008. It is one of two local establishments which lay claim to having invented the [[French dip sandwich]]. Additionally, the structure held the architectural offices of [[Greene and Greene]] circa 1905.
Following the closure of the terminal's main floor depot, the former waiting room and bus concourse were converted to a parking garage. With the commercial and social decline of Main Street and the east side of downtown in general, the rented offices on the upper floors of the building became less desirable and gradually emptied out. The building was largely vacant for many years, though it became a popular location for the movie and television industries. Over 400 location shoots have taken place there, including scenes from ''[[Forrest Gump]]'', ''[[LA Confidential (film)|LA Confidential]],'' ''[[Jumpin' Jack Flash (film)|Jumpin' Jack Flash]]'' and interior shots for the 1970s ''[[The Streets of San Francisco|Streets of San Francisco]]'' TV series.

In 1908, [[Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet]] was opened on the lower floor of the building and is still there today. As such, Cole's claims to be Los Angeles' oldest restaurant and pub that has been in operation in the same place since its founding. It is one of two local establishments which lay claim to having invented the [[French dip sandwich]]. Additionally, the structure held the architectural offices of [[Greene and Greene]] circa 1905.


[[File:Pacific Electric Building, 610 S. Main Downtown Los Angeles 6.jpg|thumb|right|The preserved facade of the building's [[pilaster]]s, 2014 ]]
[[File:Pacific Electric Building, 610 S. Main Downtown Los Angeles 6.jpg|thumb|right|The preserved facade of the building's [[pilaster]]s, 2014 ]]
In 2005, the building was converted by ICO Group into residential live/work lofts and is occupied by residents. Several commercial tenants have filled the first floor spaces along 6th Street. The original Cole's space was renovated and divided to add another restaurant and bar. The building lobby currently displays a number of artifacts left over from its days as once an exceptionally active interurban rail terminal. "DANGER" warnings are set into the sidewalk at the Main Street location where trains once entered and left the building, remaining as evidence of its original grand purpose.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dan Wiklund |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninedragons/4829848216/ |title=Pacific Electric Building (1905) downtown L.A. &#124; Flickr - Photo Sharing! |publisher=Flickr |date=2010-11-22 |accessdate=2014-04-29}}</ref>
In 2005, the building was converted by ICO Group into residential live/work lofts and is occupied by residents. Several commercial tenants have filled the first floor spaces along 6th Street. The original Cole's space was renovated and divided to add another restaurant and bar. The building lobby currently displays a number of artifacts left over from its days as once an exceptionally active interurban rail terminal. "DANGER" warnings are set into the sidewalk at the Main Street location where trains once entered and left the building, remaining as evidence of its original grand purpose.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dan Wiklund |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninedragons/4829848216/ |title=Pacific Electric Building (1905) downtown L.A. &#124; Flickr - Photo Sharing! |publisher=Flickr |date=2010-11-22 |access-date=2014-04-29}}</ref>


[[File:Pacific Electric Building on the corner of Main Street and Sixth Street, ca.1905-1909 (CHS-2363).jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric Building c.1905-1909]]
[[File:Pacific Electric Building on the corner of Main Street and Sixth Street, ca.1905-1909 (CHS-2363).jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric Building {{circa|1905–1909}}]]


==See also==
==See also==
Line 47: Line 114:
* [[Subway Terminal Building]]
* [[Subway Terminal Building]]


==Bibliography==
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
*Crump, Spencer: ''Ride The Big Red Cars: How Trolleys Helped Build Southern California'', (1977) 256 pages. Trans-Anglo Books, Corona Del Mar, CA.
*Crump, Spencer: ''Henry Huntington and the Pacific Electric Railway: A Pictorial Album'', (1982) 112 pages. Trans-Anglo Books, Corona Del Mar, CA.
*Swett, Ira L.: ''Lines of Pacific Electric, Interurbans Special #16'', (1953), and supplements (1954-1960). Interurbans Press, Glendale, CA.


==References==
==references and Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Crump |first=Spencer |title=Ride the big red cars: How trolleys helped build southern California |year=1977 |publisher=Trans-Anglo Books |isbn=0-87046-047-1 |oclc=3414090 }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*Crump, Spencer: ''Henry Huntington and the Pacific Electric Railway: A Pictorial Album'', (1982) 112 pages. Trans-Anglo Books, Corona Del Mar, CA.
*Swett, Ira L.: ''Lines of Pacific Electric, Interurbans Special #16'', (1953), and supplements (1954-1960). [[Interurban Press|Interurbans]], Glendale, CA.
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commonscat|Pacific Electric Lofts}}
{{commonscat|Pacific Electric Lofts}}
*[http://www.erha.org/pelines/penmss.htm History of PE Building: Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California article]
*[http://www.erha.org/pelines/penmss.htm History of PE Building: Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California article]
*[http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=231792 Emporis Buildings entry for Pacific Electric Lofts]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930172635/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=231792 Emporis Buildings entry for Pacific Electric Lofts]}}
*[http://www.navigatela.lacity.org/downtownla/incidents/DLAHistorical.cfm?PK=31 History and photos: Los Angeles Conservancy and Los Angeles City and Library article.]
*[http://www.navigatela.lacity.org/downtownla/incidents/DLAHistorical.cfm?PK=31 History and photos: Los Angeles Conservancy and Los Angeles City and Library article.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060128142103/http://navigatela.lacity.org/downtownla/incidents/DLAHistorical.cfm?PK=31 |date=2006-01-28 }}
*[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2632810?urlappend=%3Bseq=339 Article from 1917 ''Transit Journal'' with original floor plan]
*[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2632810?urlappend=%3Bseq=339 Article from 1917 ''Transit Journal'' with original floor plan]
*[http://www.pelofts.com Pacific Electric Lofts] ''Commercial website of developers for the Pacific Electric Building conversion.''
*[http://www.pelofts.com Pacific Electric Lofts] ''Commercial website of developers for the Pacific Electric Building conversion.''
* Los Angeles Library and Conservancy: History and photographs.



{{Pacific Electric Railway}}
{{Pacific Electric Railway}}
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[[Category:1905 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1900s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:1900s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:Former railway stations in California]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1905]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1905]]
[[Category:Railway stations closed in 1950]]
[[Category:Main Street (Los Angeles)]]
[[Category:Main Street (Los Angeles)]]
[[Category:Repurposed railway stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Adaptive reuse of industrial structures in Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 1961]]

Latest revision as of 17:53, 26 August 2024

Pacific Electric Building
Pacific Electric Building, 2009
General information
Location610 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, California
Operated byPacific Electric (1905–1958)
Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (1958–1961)
ConnectionsLos Angeles Railway
History
OpenedJanuary 15, 1905 (January 15, 1905)
ClosedApril 9, 1961 (April 9, 1961)
Key dates
2005converted to housing and retail
Former services
Preceding station Pacific Electric Following station
Vernon
towards Morgan Avenue
 Long Beach Terminus
7th & Main
towards Watts
 Watts
Local
Vernon
towards San Pedro
 San Pedro via Dominguez
(discontinued 1958)
Amoco
towards Rustic Canyon
 Air Line
(1909–1953)
Vernon
towards Santa Ana SP Depot
 Santa Ana
Vernon
towards Balboa
 Balboa
Vernon
towards Clifton
 Redondo Beach via Gardena
(1911–1940)
Vernon
towards San Pedro
 San Pedro via Gardena
(discontinued 1940)
Vernon
towards Fullerton
 Fullerton
Vernon
towards Yorba Linda
 La Habra–Fullerton–Yorba Linda
Beverly & Glendale
towards Burbank or North Glendale
 Glendale–Burbank
(until 1925)
Terminus Pasadena Short Line
(discontinued 1951)
 Echandia
towards Pasadena
Pasadena via Oak Knoll
(1906–1950)
Monrovia–Glendora
(discontinued 1951)
 Echandia
towards Glendora
Alhambra–San Gabriel Line
(discontinued 1941)
 Echandia
towards Temple City
Upland–San Bernardino Echandia
towards San Bernardino
Riverside–Rialto
(1931–1938)
 Echandia
towards Riverside
Redlands Echandia
towards Redlands
Whittier Echandia
towards Whittier
South Pasadena
Local 		5th & Main
towards South Pasadena
Annandale
(discontinued 1928)
 Echandia
towards Annandale
Pacific Electric Building
Pacific Electric Building is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Pacific Electric Building
Pacific Electric Building is located in California
Pacific Electric Building
Pacific Electric Building is located in the United States
Pacific Electric Building
Coordinates34°02′42″N 118°15′00″W / 34.04495°N 118.2499°W / 34.04495; -118.2499
Built1905
ArchitectThornton Fitzhugh
Architectural styleBeaux Arts, Romanesque
NRHP reference No.09000180
LAHCM No.104
Added to NRHPApril 9, 2009[1]

The historic Pacific Electric Building (also known as the Huntington Building, after the railway’s founder, Henry Huntington, or simply 6th & Main), opened in 1905 in the core of Los Angeles as the main train station for the Pacific Electric Railway, as well as the company's headquarters; Main Street Station served passengers boarding trains for the south and east of Southern California. The building was designed by architect Thornton Fitzhugh. Though not the tallest in Los Angeles, its ten floors enclosed the greatest number of square feet in any building west of Chicago for many decades. Above the train station, covering the lower floors, were five floors of offices; and in the top three was the Jonathan Club, one of the city's leading businessmen's clubs introduced by magnates from the Northeast.[a] After the “Great Merger” of Pacific Electric into Southern Pacific Railroad in 1911, the PE Building became the home of Southern Pacific in Los Angeles. In 1925, a second electric rail hub, the Subway Terminal, was opened near Pershing Square to serve the north and west.

History

[edit]

Interurban terminal

[edit]
View north on Main Street c. 1910, with the Pacific Electric Building at the right.

The building opened on January 15, 1905 as a terminal for the electric railways being constructed by Henry Huntington.[3] In 1914, a total of 1,626 scheduled Pacific Electric trains entered or left Los Angeles at Main Street Station in 3262 interurban car trips daily.[4] The elevated tracks and passenger concourse on the back of the building were constructed in 1916.[5]

With the great rise in the number of automobiles in the 1920s, congestion — from the cars, from sharing streets with the cars, from sharing the streets with Los Angeles Railway’s Yellow Cars — often caused PE trains to run late, especially while traveling north on Main Street towards Glendale, and west to Hollywood and Santa Monica. To relieve such problems, the California Railroad Commission issued Order No. 9928 in 1922, which called for the Pacific Electric to build a subway to leave downtown's busy streets.[6] The Subway Terminal Building, a second PE terminal, was then built across downtown at the base of Bunker Hill at 4th and Hill Streets by Pershing Square to serve the subway, which opened December 1, 1925, speeding passenger service considerably to Hollywood, Santa Monica, San Fernando, and Glendale.

Interurban rail service remained the 6th and Main PE Terminal's sole function until 1942. Trains entered the back (east side) on ground-level track from San Pedro Street, loaded and unloaded passengers inside the building concourse, then exited onto Main Street (west side) and turned north or south. (See the attached photograph accompanying this article.) In 1942, the terminal was converted to accommodate the Pacific Electric's growing fleet of buses.[7] Trains continued to enter and use the original concourse on New Year's Day to carry crowds to and from the Tournament of Roses events in Pasadena until 1950 when Northern District (Pasadena–Sierra Madre–Monrovia–Glendora) rail service was abandoned. After that, the PE concourse saw no trains and Main Street tracks were no longer used. Remaining service to Glendora, the Harbor, and to Bellflower was provided at the rear of the PE terminal on outdoor passenger loading platforms and stub tracks at the rear (east side) of the PE Terminal. Trains used a ramp up from San Pedro Street that crossed Los Angeles Street to reach the loading platforms. Passengers walked into the terminal concourse via an enclosed bridge.

Behind the building, tracks in the yard elevated above the street serve interurbans, c. 1920

Over the next decade, interurban rail routes to Bellflower, the Watts local, and Long Beach and harbor area were abandoned and replaced by motor coaches. The last active route was the Long Beach Line. The final "Blimp" multiple unit interurban train to use the terminal (so named for their unusual plump size and round front windows) to Long Beach was on April 9, 1961 and was in MTA green livery: no longer painted the famous and classic Pacific Electric red. MTA Bus service continued to operate from Sixth and Main until 1964. The MTA ran "Freeway Flyer" motor coach service to old PE destinations from the basement of the nearby Greyhound Terminal, and this continued during Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) operations.

After rail service

[edit]

Following the closure of the terminal's main floor depot, the former waiting room and bus concourse were converted to a parking garage. With the commercial and social decline of Main Street and the east side of downtown in general, the rented offices on the upper floors of the building became less desirable and gradually emptied out. The building was largely vacant for many years, though it became a popular location for the movie and television industries. Over 400 location shoots have taken place there, including scenes from Forrest Gump, LA Confidential, Jumpin' Jack Flash and interior shots for the 1970s Streets of San Francisco TV series.

In 1908, Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet was opened on the lower floor of the building and is still there today. As such, Cole's claims to be Los Angeles' oldest restaurant and pub that has been in operation in the same place since its founding. It is one of two local establishments which lay claim to having invented the French dip sandwich. Additionally, the structure held the architectural offices of Greene and Greene circa 1905.

The preserved facade of the building's pilasters, 2014

In 2005, the building was converted by ICO Group into residential live/work lofts and is occupied by residents. Several commercial tenants have filled the first floor spaces along 6th Street. The original Cole's space was renovated and divided to add another restaurant and bar. The building lobby currently displays a number of artifacts left over from its days as once an exceptionally active interurban rail terminal. "DANGER" warnings are set into the sidewalk at the Main Street location where trains once entered and left the building, remaining as evidence of its original grand purpose.[8]

Pacific Electric Building c. 1905–1909

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The club moved to its own building on Figueroa Street in 1925.

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System – (#09000180)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Pacific Electric Railway Terminal at Los Angeles". Transit Journal. 50 (8): 308. 1917. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Crump (1977), pp. 76–77.
  4. ^ Middleton, William D. (1961). The Interurban Era. Kalmbach Publishing. p. 304. ISBN 9780890240038.
  5. ^ Crump (1977), p. 149.
  6. ^ "Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California". Erha.org. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  7. ^ "P. E. trains to get new routes into terminal". Los Angeles Daily News. September 23, 1942. p. 11. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  8. ^ Dan Wiklund (November 22, 2010). "Pacific Electric Building (1905) downtown L.A. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr. Retrieved April 29, 2014.

Bibliography

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  • Crump, Spencer (1977). Ride the big red cars: How trolleys helped build southern California. Trans-Anglo Books. ISBN 0-87046-047-1. OCLC 3414090.

Further reading

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  • Crump, Spencer: Henry Huntington and the Pacific Electric Railway: A Pictorial Album, (1982) 112 pages. Trans-Anglo Books, Corona Del Mar, CA.
  • Swett, Ira L.: Lines of Pacific Electric, Interurbans Special #16, (1953), and supplements (1954-1960). Interurbans, Glendale, CA.
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